Car coupling



Feb. 13, 1923. 1,445,313.

0. HEBERT.

CAR COUPLING.

ORIGINAL FILED MAR. 19. 1919- 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

A TTOR/I/E VS Feb. 13, 1923. 1,445,313.

0. HEBERT.

CAR COUPLING. 4 ORIGINAL FILED MAR. 19, 1919 .3 SHEETS-SHEET Z- W/ T/VE SSE S Feb. 13, 1923. O HEBERT 1,445,313

CAR COUPLING.

ORIGINAL FILED MAR. 19, 1919- 3 SHEETSSHEET 3 Patented Feb. 13, 923.

' oimsmn nnnnar, or on lcm'cooramerf Application flled March 19, 1919, Serial No. 288,488. Renewed December 23,1922.

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, ONnsIMn- HEBERT, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Oklahoma city, in the county of Oklahoma and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful Improvements-in Car Couplings, of Which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements 1n structions, combinations and arrangements herein described and claimed.

The foremost object of my inventionis to provide'a car coupling having a draw-head of a peculiar and novel design and, construction so that when it is coupled with a. draw-head of a similar design, a coupling of such solidity and strength is provided that it is substantially analogous to a solid metal joint that cannot be wrenched apart. A further object of theinvention is to provide a draw-head which can-be coupled with any standard M. C. B. coupling, the proportion and measurements of the parts being made to accord with such standard coupling, in order that a continuous vestibule train can be arranged regardless ofwhether the improved draw-head is coupled with one of kind or with the standard M. C. B.

A further object of the invention is to provide a draw-head of such a construction that it can be safely used in coupling cars even when the knuckle pivot pin is removed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a draw-head of such-a construction that most of the pulling strain is applied to the knuckle lock and apart of the drawhead, rather than to the knuckle pivot pin, thereby avoiding the bending or breaking of the pin in circumstances of extraordinary stress.

A further object of the invention resides in the making of the draw-head according to a particular and peculiar design, which will hereinafter be more fully described.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a car couplin illustratingtwo draw-heads constructed in accordance with my invention, coupled together,

; pivot pin is removed.

In carrylng out my invention I provide a.

Fiflilre 2 is a horizontal section of the coup g illustrated in Figure 1, 7

Figure 3 is a plan View showing how one of the mproved draw-heads can be coupled twith a coupling of the ordinary Janjney yP Y Figure is .a perspective view of the improved draw-head, 'theknuckle' being re moved,- car couplings, and it consists in the con- -Figure 5 is a perspective view of the knuckle, 1

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the same knuckle as viewed from a difi'erent position,

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the knuckle lock,

Figure V8 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 8-8 of Fi re 2, and -Figure 9 is a-perspe'ctive view illustrating how the knuckle remains in place and the coupling may be used even after the knuckle draw-head 1 which is fulcrumed on the draw-bar 2 by means of the fulcrum pin 3, as is almost universally the practice. As is well known in the art, there are some car couplings wherein the draw-head is con structed integrally with the draw-bar, and there are also couplings wherein the drawhead is fulcrumed on the draw-bar. In the present instance, the draw-bar 2 has a V- shaped protuberance 4: which operates in a similarly shaped recess in the draw-head, forthe purpose of automatically centering the draw-head on the draw-barn This particular construction is, however, the subject matter of a co-pending-patent application for draw-bar and coupling connections, filed December 3, 1917, Serial No. 205,102, and forms no part of the present invention.

Considerable importance attaches in the present instance, to thepeculiar construction of the draw head, and since this forms an important part of the invention, attention is now. directed to Figures 2, 4 et seq.,

wherein various features of the construction are shown.

The draw-head 1 includes a pair of vertically alined lugs 5 which are apertured at 6 to receive the pivot pin 7, means of which the knuckle 8 is ordinarily retained in place. As will presently appear more fully, it is not particularly essential that the pivot pin 7 be in place, because under extraordinary circumstances, the coupling will work just as well without the pivot pins. The arrangement of the coupling whereby this function is made to operate, is imlportant in more than one way.

nder abnormal conditions, as when the coupling is under unusual strains, the whole pull is riot exerted on the pivot pin but is divided between the knuckle lock 9 on one side and the locking shoulder 10 on the other. It is by means of this knuckle lock '9. and the locking shoulder 10 that the knuckle 8 is retained in place in the drawhead, even after the pivot pin 7 is for some reason removed. It immediately follows that since the knuckle lock 9 and locking shoulder 10 embodying such means whereby the knuckle 8 is positively held when closed, a great deal of the strain is relieved from the pivot pin 7, and so the possibility of the pin bendmg or breaking, is reduced to a minimum.

The locking shoulder 10, spoken of in a collective sense above, really consists of a number of lugs as clearly shown in Figure (3. These are intended to enter suitably arranged openings in the knuckle housing or drawhead 1 and are intended to constitute a number of locks,'instead of a single lock as would be the case were the shoulder 10 of a single piece.

Referring now more particularly to the actual construction of the draw-head 1, the lugs 5 merge with an abutment 11. There is a similar abutment 12 on the other side of the draw-head as clearly shown in Figure 4. The abutments 11 and 12 of companion and interlocking draw-heads, come together as shown in Figures 1 and 2, making a tight and immovable joint so that the coupling is more like a solid piece of metal than two draw-heads joined together. Although the abutments 11 and 12 are employed for the same purpose when my improved drawhead 1 is coupled with the standard M. C. B. coupling J as in Figure 3, yet the feature of the tight, immovable joint above referred to, is present only when two draw-heads of my construction are coupled together, for the reason that each draw-head is constructed with special features that make it possible to attain this object.

A suitably shaped recess 13 extending backward from the abutment 11, is arranged to receive the locking tongue 14 of a companion draw-head. The recess 13 forms the outlet of openings 15 which communicate with the inside of a draw-head as plainly shown in Figure 4. The formation of the openings 15 provides a locking rib 16 against which the shoulder 10 of the knuckle 8 bears when the knuckle is locked, as shown in Figure 2. The rear Walls 17 of the openings 15 are sufficiently rounded, or otherwise shaped, to make room for the movement of the locking shoulder 10 when the knuckle 8 swings on its ivot. The openings 15 are provided with a orizontal rib 16 which extends from the rib 16 to the wall 17. The horizontal rib 16 serves to brace the vertical rib, and the openings thus forn'ied cooperate-with the lugs of the shoulder 10.

A recess 18 receives the end of the drawbar 2 and permits relative movement between the draw-head and the draw-bar. This recess communicates with the front part of the draw-head, and adjacent to one side of the recess is a depression 19 in which the knuckle lock 9 is mounted. An opening 20 leads into the depression 19 from one side, and the rod 21, by means of which the knuckle lock 9 is actuated, occupies the opening 20.

Here it is also to be observed that a pair of circular stop shoulders 22, above and below the opening 15, merge at the front with the rib 16 and at the rear with the other edge of the opening formed by the recess 18. The purpose of the stop shoulder 22 is,'to provide rests or abutments for the similarly shaped parts of the knuckle 8 when a pair of draw-heads are coupled together. It can readily be understood that in the act of coupling, the knuckle 8 will strike against the circular stop shoulders 22 and in turn relieve the pivot pin 7 to a great extent, of the force of the thrust.

As clearly shown in the various views, the knuckle 8 includes the tail-piece 23 against which the end of the knuckle lock 9 binds to hold the knuckle in the locked position. The tail-piece 23 is beveled at 24 in any suitable manner, to cooperate with a similar bevel 25 on the free end of the lock 9. It will readily be understood that in the act of coupling, the beveled part of the tail-piece 23 strikes the bevel 25, lifts the lock 9, and enables the knuckle to assume the closed position. In this connection it will be seen in Figure 2, that the lock 9 is operatively connected with the rod 21 by means of the connections 26, which in the present instance consists simply of a staple on the lock, and a hook end of the rod 21.

Briefly summarizing the important features of the invention, those elements that are regarded as being most novel are, first, the particular shape of the draw-head 1, by means of which when two draw-heads of the same kind are coupled together, an absolutely rigid and immovable joint is formed. Secondly, the provision of the rib 16 on one side. and the lock 9 on the other to respectively cooperate with the shoulder 10 and tail-piece 23, whereby most of the strain on the pivot pin 7 is relieved in. pulling. Thirdly, the provision of the circular stop shoulders 22 inside of the draw-head, to form abutments for the similarly shaped herein described and claimed, is that of a generally preferred form, obviously modifications and changes may be made, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

I claim 1-- 1. The combination of a draw bar and a hollow coupler head connected thereto so as to permit said head to have a limited verti cal movement with respect to the draw bar, said head having front abutments adapted to contact with similar abutments on a companion coupler, a recess in one outer side tapering in a vertical plane toward the rear of said head, and a tongue projecting forward on the other side of said head, said tongue being adapted to fit in a corresponding recess in a companion coupler head, the portion of the tongue that fits the corresponding recess being a counter-part in dimensions and form of the said recesson the opposite side of said head, and a knuckle adapted to interlock with the knuckle of a companion coupler in such manner as to hold the coacting abutments, tongues and sides of the recesses in rigid engagement.

2. In a car coupler, a hollow couplerhead provided with a recess on one outer side thereof, and a tongue projecting forward on the other side thereof, adapted to fit into a corresponding recess in the mating coupler head, said head having a knuckle pivoted within it on the side adjacent said recess, and an opening extending from the recess to the interior of the hollow head, and said knuckle having a shoulder adapted to interlock with said opening.

3. In a car coupler, a hollow coupler head provided with a recess on one side thereof, and a tongue projecting forward on the other side thereof adapted to fit into a corresponding recess in a mating coupler head, said head having a knuckle pivoted within it on the side adjacent said recess, and an opening extending from the recess to the interior of the hollow head, said knuckle having a shoulder adapted to interlock with said opening, and a knuckle locking device adapted to lock the knuckle with its shoulder engaged in the opening.

4. In a car coupler, a hollow coupler head. having a recess in the outer face of one side, and upper and lower openings extending from said recess to the interior of said head, a knuckle pivoted in said hollow head and having locking shoulders adapted to engage in said openings, a tongue projecting forward from the opposite side of the wall adapted to engage a corresponding recess in a mating coupler head, and a device for locking the knuckle with the shoulders in engagement with said openings.

ONESIME HEBERT. 

